US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday has slammed Iranian regime for constant abuses of human rights and announced visa restriction for violators, Avatoday corresponded reported.
In a meeting at the State Department in Washington before the members of Iranian diaspora, Pompeo announced the moves.
He said the country is restricting Iranian officials and their family members, found responsible for repressing thousands of protesters who demonstrated in November over fuel price hikes.
Iran brutally killed hundreds of protesters and wounded thousands. At least 7000 people were also detained by security forces and their fate remain undetermined.
“First, I have re-designated Iran as a Country of Particular Concern under the International Religious Freedom Act,” he said. “Second, today the United States Department of Treasury will sanction two Iranian judges: Mohammad Moghisseh, and Abolghassem Salavati.”
Moghisseh sentenced Nasrin Sotoudeh, a human rights lawyer to 148 lashes and 33 years in prison.
Salavati sentenced an American citizen, Xiyue Wang, for 10 years in prison on charges of espionage. He was recently swapped with an Iranian prisoner in US.
“We’re glad we won Xiyue’s release, but he should’ve never been sentenced or jailed in the first place,” the US top official said.
Pompeo added that US is restricting visas “for current or former Iranian officials and individuals responsible for or complicit in the abuse, detention, or killing of peaceful protesters, or for inhibiting their rights to freedom of expression or assembly.”
“We call on the Iranian regime to fulfil the first duty of any government: Treat your people with basic dignity, to which every member of the family of mankind is entitled…Act like a normal country,” he advised Tehran, calling the regime’s human right violations “evil.”
“The protest that started and accelerated in November clearly signaled that the Iranian people have just had enough. They’re fed up,” Pompeo reminded Iranian authorities of massive internal dissatisfactions.
